The award, which was announced Thursday in a press release, is given annually by Gatorade in collaboration with USA TODAY High School Sports to the best cross country runner in the state.

Knight, a 5-foot-11 junior distance runner, raced to a third straight MAIS Academy AAA individual state championship with a time of 16:15.70 last season, leading the Raiders to a runner-up team finish.

The recognition qualifies the three-time MAIS Class AAA All-State selection for Gatorade’s National Cross Country Runner of the Year award, which will be announced later this month.